J Quinton wrote:I've got a spreadsheet of all the best bakeries in Aust. if anyone's interested.

There aren't any good bakeries in Port Douglas. But there are a couple in Cairns, if its not too late.

He has already picked up a puncture, internal tho so either too much pressure or a pinch flat. Took him 1.5hrs to get the bike sorted out after unpacking it.

None of this is unusual. I have never timed how long it takes me to "sort out" my bike i think its usually longer than 1.5 hours. On my first overseas trip with bike and first solo journey which was to indian landing in delhi, i had a two punctures within the first two kms and i was rushing to catch a train. What a saga but that 4km journey to the train station is perhaps the highlight of that 4 month long tour. See pictures of where i road to get to the train station here. http://www.photoblog.com/ShangriLa/2007/11/03/

So when i got to the train station, the train was delayed and i had to wait there with my bike and stuff for 6 hours before the train left on its overnight journey to Bikaner. When i got off the train in the morning at the station which was about 5km from town, i got another puncture within the first 2km.

I didnt' really have any more after that. But i also learnt to pump my tyres up better and not to get snake bike punctures. But i think in all the fomer cases the punctures were cause by nails and not snakebikes.

If anyone ever goes to delhi you must try the adventure i had which was to ride from pahar ganj to old delhi station along this busy road ie the busiest road you can find. Do not take diversions to the quiet roads. All the life of india is in this street. Suffice to say i could not take any pictures whilst i was rushingfor the train. I had to go back and do it again in a rickshaw to take the pictures.

Baalzamon wrote:He has already picked up a puncture, internal tho so either too much pressure or a pinch flat. Took him 1.5hrs to get the bike sorted out after unpacking it.

Ouch 1.5 hours ... not my idea of fun. Really shouldn't take that long to remove the panniers fix the puncture and get going again.

Andrew

Well it does if you forget something critical.... he left his pitlock key where he stayed

Yikes. That does worry me about my Pitlocks ... really need to come up with a good solution to reduce the risk. One key into my tool bag for sure. Not sure what to do with the other as yet. Maybe on my lanyard with the bike lock key or something.

Aushiker wrote:That does worry me about my Pitlocks ... really need to come up with a good solution to reduce the risk. One key into my tool bag for sure. Not sure what to do with the other as yet. Maybe on my lanyard with the bike lock key or something.

That is basically what I've done - pitlock key is on the key-ring with the bike lock key and house key. Second one in the tool-box (must remember to pack it in the touring tool kit) and another matching coded key is on the GLW's key-ring (she has pitlocks as well, same key).

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

Aushiker wrote:That does worry me about my Pitlocks ... really need to come up with a good solution to reduce the risk. One key into my tool bag for sure. Not sure what to do with the other as yet. Maybe on my lanyard with the bike lock key or something.

That is basically what I've done - pitlock key is on the key-ring with the bike lock key and house key. Second one in the tool-box (must remember to pack it in the touring tool kit) and another matching coded key is on the GLW's key-ring (she has pitlocks as well, same key).

I wish i even knew what a pitlock was. I obviously have never used one. Is it something one has to have?

I keep keys in my money belt which is around my waste. I keep my allen keys tool set (which has all fallen apart) in a plastic bag but another type of little nylon zipped up bag would be better still.

I keep my tiny key ring torch in money belt as well.

I have a net topped zipped up bag for all my toiletries and things that are small and fly about and get lost. Some of hte really tiny things in little packets or bags of one sort or another inside the bigger net bag. I bought that net bag from kathmandu years ago and its been such a great thing to have on any trip i've ever been on. Its just a bag about 12 inches long, 8 inches wide and 2-3 inches deep. Its made of tough black nylon and has a see through net lid with two zips. I love it.

Any other bitsy things, such as tools are just kept in plastic bags - because they are light.

Meditator wrote:I wish i even knew what a pitlock was. I obviously have never used one. Is it something one has to have?

It's a locking skewer, to stop thieves from stealing your wheels with expensive dynamo or Rohloff hubs. I don't use them because I think the risk of loosing or misplacing the key is much, much higher than the risk that a thief will recognise that my bike has hubs worth stealing then remove the panniers to get to the skewers and remove the wheels and make off with them.

I had a seafood pie at mocka's yesterday actually but i never thought of it as a bakery. It probably is indeed a bakery but i think of bakeries as sweet pastries and stuff like that. I noticed they do also do sweet cakes but i resisted. Are they any good?

Not wanting to knock mocka's pies, they are quite good, i didn't think the seafood pie i had was as good as the scallop pies you can buy in Tasmania. Of course there are good and bad scallop pies in tassie but when they are good, they are indeed GREAT!. All mocka has to do is put some old fashioned curry powder into the white goup swirling around the seafood mix.

Relaxing in alice springs atm, really nice place with freezing mornings tho going on a 3 days organized tour to uluru etc this week and then cycling up north towards darwin.

John - was planning a Europe tour originally but thought i missed the boat when it comes to time of the year so decided to finish Austrtalia instead, Europe needs to wait for another year Hope to see you on your velomobile sometime in future, take care and say hello back to Helen

Had a mixture of winds going up but made a good progress, few bigger days and couple of smaller, 2 days in mataranka to have a rest day, heading to Katherine tomorrow and going to spend a few days there, wash up, eat lots etc. think I lost a couple of kg on the 1100km section from Alice springs so looking forward to Katherine.

Bike is handling great, had 1flat in tenant creek, internal again so a bit weird, put a better tube is time - continental so see how we go, need some tubes from Katherine hopefully, then heading to kakadu and following it until I get to Darwin.